Apparatus for indicating the thermal quality of gases.



No. 723,751. PATENTED MAR. 24, 11903.

W. F. STEELE. APPARATUS FOR INDIOATING THE THERMAL QUALITY OF GASES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 14, 1902.

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PATENTED MAR. 24', 1903. W. F. STEELE. APPARATUS FOR. INLIGATING THE THERMAL QUALITY OF GASES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 14, 1902.

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WILBUR F. STEELE, NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO AOME GAS COM- PANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

APPARATUS FOR lNDlCATlNG THE THERMAL QUALITY OF GASES,

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 723,751, dated March '24, 1903.

Applioationfiled April 14 1902. Serial ll'o. 102,808. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LWlLBUR F. STEELE,a citizen of the United States, and a resident of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,ha ve invented certain new and use ful Improvements in Apparatus for Indicating the Thermal Quality of Gases, of which the.

following isa specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for indicating and determining the thermal eijiiciency of gas; and it is used particularly in connection with gas-machines which make carbureted gas used for fuel purposes, and especially where the gas is used in forges, furnaces, and the like as fast as it is generated. It is an important matter in such cases to be able to determine the quality of the gas made at the machine instead of depending upon the results of the heat produced at the forge, furnace, or heater; and to'this end I provide a case within which are placed two sections of verticallydisposed pipes slightly out of alinement with each other, the upper end of the upper section and the lower end of the lower section.

being fixed to the case, and a burner which takes gas from the supply-pipe of the gasmachine is placed below the lower end of the pipes, so that the flame from the burner will heat and expand the pipes, thus producing a lateral thrust at'the middlejoined section of the pipes, which motion is transmitted to a multiplying-gearing connected with a dial that traverses aface-plate on the front of the case, so that anyvariations in the thermal properties of the gas will be indicated by the dial. In connection therewith is an adjustable relief pressure-valve in the line of the burner supply-pipe, whereby the,

pressure of the gas in the burner will be equalized, and in order to enable the operator to determine the pressure a water-column is connected with the burner supply-pipe at a point between the burner and the reliefvalve, all of which will now he set 'forth in detail. 7

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front view of my apparatus for indicating with the face-plate removed. are edge views of the case. Fig. 5 is a vertithe thermal quality of gas. Fig. 2 is a front view'of the case containingthe mechanism Figs. 3 and 4 cal longitudinal section of the gas-inlet pipe, Valve, and adjustable relief pressure-valve; Fig. 6, an enlarged cross-section of the multiplying-gearing between the expansible tubing and the dial along line 6, Fig. 2; Fig. 7, a vertical section of the joint between the expansible tubes; and Fig. 8, a horizontal section of the expansible tube across line 8, Fig. 7."

In constructing my invention I provide a case 10, preferably of metal; having solid back, sides, bottom, and top, as'shown, and adapted to have a face-plate 9 removably secured thereto. Nearone edge. of the case I mount two sections of pipe 11 12, the lower section 11 being slightly longerthan the upper section 12. This lower section is socketed in a bracket 13, which is secured to an edge of the case by bolts 14. Below the bracket is a chamber 15, which servesas acom'bus tion-chamber for the burner. Access is had to the same by means of an aperture through the-base of. the case. The upperend of the upper section is hinged to the upper end of the case at 16, and the two abutting ends of these tubes are secured togetherby means of a socket 17, secured to the upper end of the lower section, while the lower end ofthe upper section has a head 18 and convex on two opposite sides and adapted to fit in the socket 17 and held thereto by means of cross-pins,

"so that the pipes in expandingcanmove laterally. Normally these pipes are out of alinement, so that on expanding they will move still farther out of line, and in order. to transmit this lateral motion to'the dialthe socket has at one sidea'n ear 19, to which is hinged a rack-bar 20, the teeth of which engage with the small hub-pinion 21, which has a segmental toothed wheel 22,'thelatter of which engages with a small pinion 23 on the spindle 24, that projects through an aperture 25 in the front plate of the'case and to which spindle the pointer 26 is attached. The spindle is secured and rotates within a socket of the bracket 27, secured to the rear wall of the case, in which the segmental toothed gear 22 is mounted on a bracket 28, secured to the rear wall of the case, this bracket having also an arm 29, which projects forward and rests beneath the rack-bar 20 to hold it in engagement with the pinion 21.

The pipe 30, which supplies the gas for the burner 31, connects with a main pipe 32 from the source of gas-supply, which is attached to a fitting'33, containing therein a needle-valve 34. Directly behind the needle-valve is a relief pressure-valve comprising a vertical cylindrical shell 35, within which is placed a cylindrical plug 36, which is held in the shell 35 by means of a packing-ring 37 at the upper end. The port 38 from the pipe 30 has a valve 39, held in its seat by a coiled spring 40, the object of the spring being to give sufficient force to the valve to regulate the pressure of gas within the pipe 30, and when the pressure of gas within the pipe 30 exceeds the tension of the spring the gas in the pipe will blow out through a pipe 41 in the side of the shell 35.

Between the relief-valve and the burner is a connection 42, adapted to receive a glass tube 43, at the upper end of which is a return-bend 45, from which a glass tube 44 ex tends downward, terminating in a returnbend 46, in which is a third glass tube 47, the upper end of which projects through the case at 48. The return-bends 44 46, which are preferably of metal, are provided with lugs 49, by means of which they may be secured to the case by cap-screws 50 or otherwise.

The operation of the device is as follows: Gas from the gas-making machine or carbureter is supplied to the burner 31 through the main supply-pipe 32 and the flow regulated up to a certain pointby means of the needlevalve 34. Sufficient gas must be supplied through the needle-valve to provide sufficient gas for the burner at all times. Now in or der that the varying pressure in the main pipe 32 shall not aifect the flow of gas through the burner 31 a relief-valve 35 is provided which is capable of regulating the pressure within the pipe 30. This is accomplished by the spring 40, which rests on the valve 39 and the tension of which on its seat by means of the vertically-movable plunger 36. When, therefore, the pressure exceeds the quantity required for the free and natural flow through the burner, the valve 39 rises from its seat and permits the gas to escape through the Vent-pipe 41.

In order to ascertain the pressure of the gas in the pipe 30 accurately, the glass pressure-gage is connected with the pipe 30 between the relief'valve and the burner. The glass pipes 44 47, which contain water, are exposed along their central portion through the opening 52 in the front of the case, so that the operator can readily adjust the plunger 36, and thus always assure the same pressure in the pipe 30 after the needle-valve 34 is once adjusted.

It is obvious that the burner will heat up the tubes 11 12 of the thermostat, so that they will expand to conform with the thermal unit produced by the consumption of gas at the burner, and as the pipes expand and are laterally moved to the right--as shown, for instance, at the dotted line 53, Fig. 2-the rackbar turns the segmental wheel 22, which in turn causes the pinion 23 to rotate, carrying with it the pointer 26, which indicates on the dial-plate the smallest variation in the heat produced by the burner.

The dial graduations may indicate the temperature or any arbitrary series of units which may be determined or adapted for the purpose.

What I claim is- 1. An apparatus for determining the thermal quality of gases, comprising a case havin g therein two tubes hinged together slightly out of alinement with each other, and attached to fixed points at their ends, the base of the lower tube having means for heating same, and the top of the upper tube being open to provide draft, a rack-bar attached to the central hinged point of the tubes, and multiplying-gearing and a pointer actuated thereby.

2. An apparatus for determining the thermal quality of gases comprising two Vertical abutting tubes hinged together slightly out of alinement with each other and attached to fixed points at their ends, a combustionchamber at the lower end of the tube, having a burner therein, and means connected with the united ends of the tubes for indicating the deflection of the tubes.

3. An apparatus for determining the thermal quality of gases, comprising two vertical abutting tubes hinged together, slightly out ofalinement with each other and attached to fixed points at their ends, a combustionchamber at the lower end of the tube, and a burner therein, and a rack-bar attached to the central hinged point of the tubes having a multiplying-gearing in connection with the same, and a dial actuated by the same.

4. An apparatus for determining the thermal quality of gases, having in combination a thermometer actuated by heat from a burner, a pipe for supplying gas to said burner, having therein a needle-valve, a wator-pressure gage in the supply-pipe between the needle-valve and the burner, and a relief pressure-valve between the water-pressure gage and needle-valve.

5. The combination of a thermometer comprising a pair of tubes hinged together slightly out'of alinement and secured to fixed points at the ends, a rack-bar secured to the hinged point of said tubes, which engages with multiplying-gearinganda pointer actuated there- York and State of New York, this 9th day ef by, a combustion-chamber at the lower end April, A. D. 1902. of the tubes, a burner in said combustionchamber, and a supply-tube having a water- 7 WILBUR STEELE 5 gage, and a relief-valve for regulating the Witnesses:

gas supplied to the burner, as set forth. J. S. ZERBE,

Signed at New York, in the county of New W. S. WARWICK. 

